Reservation Blues

Hartry 1

Alterations: Comparing the Changes Caused by Marriage of the two Bessie Head Short Stories, "Life" and "Snapshots of a Wedding"

Marriage is the union of two people, traditionally husband and wife. Traditional also are the roles that women play when confined in a marriage. When a woman has had the opportunity to educate herself pass tradition and has been use to a fast-paced modern lifestyle, this role of the wife might prove to be quite onerous to mold to. Usually a time of joy, celebration, and adulation, marriage may also bring along emotional and physical pain as well as awkward situations, as the woman must alter herself to conform the traditional role of what a wife should be. Bessie Head depicts two modernized, educated women in her short stories of "Life" and "Snapshots of a Wedding". These women are forced to change from the only lives they knew as single women to the new roles they must live up to as wives.

Life Morapedi and Neo are both women, who compared to the people of their perspective villages, are highly educated and have transcended the traditional customs of their African villages. Even though they have acquired knowledge beyond others and are able to attain high paying jobs, in certain aspects they are seen as interruption of the normal tradition of the villages. The

inhabitants of the villages see these two women as an impediment to the usual occurrences of the villages. Life Morapedi is a vivacious, cordial, fancy woman with an enchanting voice and a tall, well-built body. She brings the intelligence of a big city back to a rural city. Villagers expect her to "bring a little light" (Head 349) to the slow-moving rural life. She loves to live life, hence her name, and throws parties and spends her never-ending bank account to show this love that she has for life. Before she is married she also engages in the endeavors of sleeping with as many men as she can for business and pleasure, a habit brought back from the city. Neo is a woman who has also excelled in her studies, excelling pass many in her village as well, including her closest family members. Due to the fact that she is smarter than most, she wants everyone to know that she is smarter. Letting everyone know causes her to be labeled a snob. Unlike Life, whose amicable nature enthralls outsiders towards her, Neo has egocentric qualities that cause the people of her particular village to do just the opposite.

The educated woman Neo is not a favorable character, and the women in the village dislike both her and the way in which her education challenges their traditions (Berg 2).

Being strong and independent women no longer matters as the men that they will call their husbands enter their lives. Lesego and Kegoletile both represent the male figures and the change that Life and Neo must endure as they conquer marriage. Lesego represents the authoritative male that is respected by all the people of the rural village for his wealth and judgment. Life is attracted to

his power and control, but clearly underestimates them. It is with this man that Life decides to change her ways. Life who represents all that is nontraditional clashes with the traditional Lesego.

His purpose is to marry Life and turn her into a proper village wife, one who does not throw loud parties, and does not fornicate with other men (Kerschen 3).

Life, because of her nature is willing to try new things, welcomes the challenges that marriage bring. The challenge of becoming a wife, which is a serious one, quickly alters Life's daily activities. All parties cease and her mouth tell others that she has changed. "All my old ways are over...I have now become a woman" (Head 353), is how Life exposes her transformation as a new wife. Kegoletile is not nearly as overbearing and demanding as Lesego, but still provokes change in Neo. Perfectly fine with her prissy ways manner she is forced to change when her aunt gives her a rude awakening concerning a marriage with Kegoletile.

You may not know it, my girl, but you are hated by everyone around here. The debate we have going is whether a nice young man like Kegoletile should marry bad-mannered rubbish like you. He would be far better off if he married a girl like Mathata, who though uneducated, still treats people with respect (Head 159).

Shocked by this statement Neo's personality changes with haste. She can no longer speak with others straight forwardly because she has now become afraid that she will not seem like the ideal wife for Kegoletile, "her confidence has been undermined, and she can no longer rely on her education to elevate her above

Mathata or women like her in the eyes of men (March 1). So no longer is she arrogant to whomever she meets and begins to greet others with anxiety. Anxiety also fills Neo because of Kegoletile and the marriage, a trait that Neo never possessed until after the marriage.

Even though at a first glance the married life seems to be the life that Life and Neo want for themselves, occurrences of the stories show that all the differences that they must encounter are too great. Life is not pleased with her novice, quiet surroundings. "Life fell into the yawn; she had nothing inside herself to cope with this way of life that had finally caught up with her (Head 353). Life regrets the decision she has made to become the one and only woman of Lesego, and he her only man. She speaks to her friends of how she thinks a mistake has been made. Unhappy with the pressure of the marriage and the immense change that it has made on her life, Life buckles and reverts back to her old ways. Neo is also seems to be under pressure. Already she is unable to let her true educated nature shin through:

This is less the story of a wedding than it is the story of the decline

of a woman's power; even if the opportunities afforded to her by her education remain available, she is still obliged to subvert her will to that of her husband, to be his wife first, Neo the educated woman second (March 1).

All the anxiety Neo has escalates when at her wedding, which is to be a time of peace and joy, the same aunt who advised